AASHTO re:source Q&A Podcast Transcript

Season 4, Episode 19: Poll the Listeners! What Do You Want to Hear Next?

Recorded: September29, 2023

Released: October 3, 2023

Hosts: Brian Jonson, AASHTO Accreditation Program Director; Kim Swanson, Communications Manager, AASHTO re:source 

Note: Please reference AASHTO re:source and AASHTO Accreditation Program policies and procedures online for official guidance on this, and other topics. 

Transcription is auto-generated. 

[Theme music fades in.] 

00:00:02 ANNOUNCER: Welcome to AASHTO resource Q & A. We're taking time to discuss construction materials testing and inspection with people in the know.  From exploring testing problems and solutions to laboratory best practices and quality management, we're covering topics important to you. Now here’s our host, Brian Johnson.

00:00:22 BRIAN: Welcome to AASHTO resource Q&A. I'm Brian Johnson.

00:00:25 KIM: And I'm Kim Swanson.

00:00:27 BRIAN: Well, Kim, today we are going to marry 2 moderately OK ideas in one podcast episode, we are going to talk about our podcast and we are also going to talk about our LinkedIn account with AASHTO Resource. And we have a question for our listeners that we want to pose on our LinkedIn account, Kim, can you explain that a little bit?

00:00:52 KIM: Yes, so LinkedIn has a pull feature and truth be told, I've never used it personally or for the Astra resource account, and I've been wanting to and I thought, what could we use this for and Brian had a great idea of asking you, the listeners, what you want to hear more from us. So, what kind of episodes do you want to hear? More. So that's what the catalyst was from this. So, we're going to have a poll starting this week.  It will go for let's say 2 weeks and you can respond to the poll and to share what you think of what you want to hear from us next?

00:01:33 BRIAN: This poll is going to be a multiple choice question. The topics that you have to choose from are... I can't remember.

00:01:43 KIM: Do you want to hear more episodes that are test method or nonconformity related top nonconformity related? Do you want another soft skill episode? Do you want something on laboratory safety, or something in the Transportation news area? Or learn more about other AASHTO programs, or do you love the mail call episodes that we do with Brian and other program directors and do you want more of that?

00:02:13 BRIAN: Those are some of the main ideas we were thinking about. Now I want to mention the top nonconformities. We went really heavy on those episodes at the end of season 2 and I started to get a little burned out on them.  So we haven't really had a lot since the beginning of season three, so we probably we are due for some more of those but I don't know what the interest is? So it would be really good to hear from you. If those are, are more interesting to you, or if you'd rather hear about something else.

00:02:44 KIM: If I recall correctly from our recap on season two or three, you said that you really did not like recording those. If I recall correctly, and it was who's going to win me or you because I thought they were useful. So far you're winning the Battle of the Wills on whether we record those episodes, but I would love our listeners. Or and or social media followers to write in give us their thoughts on that.

00:03:10 BRIAN: Yeah. And maybe it'll be interesting. I don't I would think that those who follow us on social media and LinkedIn already know about the podcast and have at least listened to one episode, but I'm not really sure about that, so I guess maybe that'll be a tell if we get much feedback on that, because they certainly don't get a lot of emails to the general podcast mailbox.

00:03:32 KIM: Yes, yes, we definitely had the debate before we started recording of we don't ever get emails. So will anybody respond to a poll? We're going to see how this works. This is a learning journey for everybody.

00:03:46 BRIAN: The funny thing about that is though, when I go to meetings, I'll have at least one or two people come up to me and say, hey. I really like this episode of the podcast or I enjoy that you guys put those out. I listen to them and I get some useful information and I think, well, I would love to hear that normally because sometimes I wonder why are we continuing to do this weekly podcast if no one's listening. But then I get that.  And then I'm encouraged to do more of this. So and plus, I enjoy doing it, of course. So, there is that. But I don't want to just do this because I think it's fun I want to.  Make sure it's useful for people.

00:04:23 KIM: That's True. And we do have some analytics on the back end. So we do know people are listening to it, but we're just not getting any direct feedback like we're used to in our face to face kind of communication style. So, it is just weird with the podcast that this goes out and you see people download it and then that's the end of it. So hopefully we can get some good interaction with this LinkedIn poll. So, I will put a link to our LinkedIn profile in the show notes, but you can also find us on LinkedIn by searching AASHTO resource formally AMRL. That is the official name of our page.

00:05:08 BRIAN: Yeah. Now let me ask you about our social media presence right now. So, we've got LinkedIn, do we have any other social media presence?

00:05:15 KIM: We have LinkedIn and the site, formerly known as Twitter, we have a Twitter account and LinkedIn. We are also have YouTube.  AASHTO, in general has a Facebook and Instagram account and AASHTO Resource does not. Ah wait, I take that back. We might have a Instagram account but that we don't do anything with because I am one person and that's that. So, if you want to see us on Instagram, send me an e-mail at kswanson@AASHTOresource.org and then I'll start posting just for you on Instagram, but until then I have priorities and that's a low priority for me.

00:05:59 BRIAN: OK, so you've been putting most of your social media eggs in the LinkedIn basket.

00:06:04 KIM: That is where we seem to get the most engagement out of posts, and so yes, I've been putting most of my eggs in that basket, so to speak, and it's been working out OK. But if you want something else, if you're like, you should be on whatever it is, let me know now you can put some energy into that.

00:06:24 BRIAN: So I don't really use LinkedIn professionally myself very often, but I do see every once in a while people I know post some things and I know you do. I'll tell you what. This is a little insider information and maybe I shouldn't put this out there, but I use it so if we have a questionable issue with the laboratory regarding personnel and this might surprise listeners, but sometimes we wonder, does that person even work there that we've been notified about? And so, one of the ways we verify that is through LinkedIn, because often people will post information on LinkedIn before we even know about it. If somebody changes the job or maybe it doesn't even work at a place where. The company says that the person works, which has happened many times. Where people will say a certain person works there even though they don't because they're trying to use their credentials to qualify for something which is like extremely unethical. But thank you LinkedIn for allowing us a look into that part of somebody's career.

00:07:34 KIM: I hope you change your privacy settings so not everyone can see who you're looking at.

00:07:39 BRIAN: Because I'm not a savvy user of social media, they know exactly that I have been. And looking at their profile.

00:07:46 KIM: All right. Well, then perhaps we need to, perhaps we need to have a different discussion at a different time about the privacy settings at LinkedIn for future use for you there, Brian.

00:07:47 BRIAN: So we've learned something today.  Sounds like a good idea. What kind of things do you post on the actual resource account?

00:08:03 KIM: We only posted from that account once a day and it's between 10:00 and 11:00 AM Eastern Time, and it's generally, I think if I'm just going through.  From what's recent, it's about the podcast, so I'll notify people of a new episode we have, like testing tips and things like that, or links to articles that people have found useful so I can see here that we have one about digital thermometers that I recently posted about maybe the accreditation program.  Or I'll repost things that the AASHTO main site has. If there's a job opening, or if we're hiring, I'll post that on LinkedIn as well, so there's a lot of stuff, but things that customers would find useful or helpful hopefully is it's the that's the idea, anyway. Maybe it's not helpful. We'll see.

00:08:57 BRIAN: We'll find out. Yeah. So.  I hope we hear from people on the poll on our LinkedIn page. And uh, and then we can provide some content that is interesting to you on the podcast.

00:09:09 KIM: Again, head over to our LinkedIn company page and that is AASHTO Resource, formerly AMRL and the link is in the show notes for you for that and answer our poll and that will be on going on for two weeks and let us know what kind of podcast episodes you.  Want to hear from us next?

[Theme music fades in.]   

00:09:29 ANNOUNCER: Thanks for listening to AASHTO re: source Q & A. If you'd like to be a guest or just submit a question, send us an email at podcast@aashtoresource.org or call Brian at 240-436-4820. For other news and related content, check out AASHTO re:source's social media accounts or go to aashtoresource.org.